City posts information on new voting districts

The Gainesville City Commission approved new district boundaries in December but roughly one month passed before city officials took steps to inform residents of the changes.

By Christopher CurryStaff writer

The Gainesville City Commission approved new district boundaries in December but roughly one month passed before city officials took steps to inform residents of the changes.In mid-January, Supervisor of Elections Pam Carpenter raised concerns over the lack of public knowledge on the new district boundaries.“Please note that none of the City voters have been notified of their current district,” Carpenter wrote in a Jan. 15 email to Clerk of the Commission Kurt Lannon.“All voters were provided a new Voter Information Card in July 2012 as required by Florida Statutes. At that time, the City had not completed its redistricting process and there was no current district information to include on that card.”At the Jan. 17 meeting, commissioners discussed how best to spread the word with an election for the newly drawn District 4 in March.“We have some work to do and it is unfortunate it is at the last minute,” Commissioner Lauren Poe said.Lannon discussed the possibility of mailing all city voters new voter identification cards that listed their current City Commission districts. If the city chose that option, he expected it would cost some $50,000.This week, the newly drawn district maps were put on the city’s Web site, www.cityofgainesville.org and the Supervisor of Elections Web site, www.votealachua.com The city’s Web site also has a feature that allows residents to type in their address and find out which of the four single-members district they live in.Carpenter said the city and her office may also work to provide more information on the new districts when sample ballots go out before the start of early voting. The days and times for early voting have not yet been set.District 4 is the only single-member district on the March 19 ballot. These voter precincts are now in District 4: 5,7,23, 27, 31 and 44.